EXCLUSIVE: Inside Capitol Studios and How PMC Speakers Is Helping a Recording Legend Enter Its Next Chapter

Todd Anderson · 2026-10-14T15:52:00-0500

(October 14, 2026) There are certain places in the audio world that carry a little extra weight, and Capitol Studios is unquestionably one of them. AV NIRVANA was recently invited inside the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood for a rare firsthand look at the newly reopened studios, giving us access to the control rooms, the new monitoring systems, and several people directly involved in the project. We spent time listening in multiple rooms, talking with PMC about what went into the installation, and getting a much closer look at how one of the world's most recognizable recording facilities has been prepared for its next chapter. The timing was fitting, too. Capitol Studios is celebrating its 70th anniversary, PMC is marking 35 years in business, and more than 50 PMC monitors are now installed throughout the Tower, including all six main studios, making this the largest single installation PMC has undertaken in its history.

What makes the story especially interesting is that PMC’s relationship with Capitol didn’t begin with this refurbishment. The two companies started working together in 2012, when Capitol presented PMC with a specific set of physical constraints, output requirements, and performance goals for its main monitoring system. Rather than selecting an existing product, that collaboration ultimately helped create the QB1, which arrived in 2014. Fast forward to today, and PMC USA and Capitol’s senior engineers have spent nearly four years collaborating on the newest generation of monitors installed throughout the facility. Studios A and B now use PMC10-4 main monitors with custom subwoofers and PMC6 nearfields, and some of the hardware developed for those rooms is so specialized that PMC says portions of the systems may remain one-of-one.

The rest of the facility shows just how extensive the installation has become. Studio C, one of Capitol’s early rooms for Dolby Atmos Music, now uses PMC15 XBD monitors for left and right, a PMC15 for center, Ci140 and Ci65 models for surround and height duties, and two BST subwoofers handling the lowest frequencies. Studios D and E use PMC8-2 XBD systems with additional PMC8-2 SUBs, while Studio F, a Dolby Atmos mixing and QC suite, uses two 8.2 monitors across the front with Wafer1s for surround and height channels. PMC speakers also appear throughout offices and boardrooms, so this isn’t a showcase installation limited to one or two rooms. One of the recurring themes in my conversations with PMC was translation, or the ability for engineers to move from a massive space like Studio A into a smaller production room without suddenly losing the tonal balance, resolution, and low-frequency information they rely on to make decisions.

PMC used the reopening celebration to mark its 35th anniversary with live performances by Melody Gardot, Sheléa, and percussionist Kevin Ricard, putting a fitting musical finish to a night centered on one of the industry's most recognizable addresses. But the bigger story is what Capitol has become after the refurbishment. This isn’t a museum restoration designed to freeze the studios in time. The rooms still carry the history and character that made Capitol famous, but the monitoring, immersive audio capabilities, and technical infrastructure have been pushed forward in a serious way. PMC’s involvement stretches from the original QB1 project to systems now installed throughout the Tower, making this latest chapter less about supplying speakers and more about continuing a relationship that has helped shape both Capitol Studios and PMC itself.

Check out my full video report on PMC and Capitol Studios below.

Related Reading:

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Capitol Studios and How PMC Speakers Is Helping a Recording Legend Enter Its Next Chapter

Popular tags